South of Everywhere

1. The South of Everywhere 6:582. Strange Resolution 6:453. Kiitos 8:474. Stella By Starlight 6:145.Funeral For The Ants 6:506.Elena 7:057.Altered Ego 6:378.The Best Thing For You 4:38

Gary Versace - piano

Jonathan Kreisberg - guitar

Mark Ferber - drums

Matt Penman - bass guitar

Will Vinson - alto saxophone

"As the rhythm section of bassist Matt Penman, pianist Gary Versace and drummer Mark Ferber builds momentum on the title track, Kreisberg unleashes a dazzling arpeggiated solo. He hits a compositional highwater mark on the ambitious suite-like “Kiitos” and stakes out some fresh territory on “Funeral for the Ants,” which opens with a dissonant blast of power chords before resolving to a melancholy 3/4 theme over which Kreisberg and Vinson wail with abandon. The guitarist’s tender ballad “Elena” is underscored by Ferber’s sensitive brushwork and features some sparse, beautiful accompaniment from Versace. Ferber’s loosely swinging, highly interactive approach to the kit comes to the fore on the two trio numbers here: an inventive 7/8 interpretation of “Stella by Starlight” and a jaunty, uptempo take on Irving Berlin’s “The Best Thing for You,” both of which feature some of Kreisberg’s most fleet-fingered moments of this collection." More from the JAZZ TIMES Review